On December 14, the eighth graders from James Lick Middle School celebrated the release of the first issue of their magazine Slick. For the semester-long project, which started way back in September, the students came up with their own ideas, interviewed experts on their topics, and spent days writing and rewriting — all of which resulted in the very first issue of the magazine.
After filling their bellies with pizza and lemonade, the students finally got their hands on the finished magazine and happily flipped through the glossy pages to admire their articles. Alex Segers, who wrote a review of Everybody Hates Chris for the magazine, said, “Some day when I am on Oprah as a famous journalist, I will say, ‘I am here because of writing for Slick and then I’ll bring out volume 1, issue 1 to show everyone.” Clearly, the journalistic experience has converted at least one student!
School administrators, teachers, and tutors also joined in on the fun and many of them presented their own copies of the magazine for the students to autograph, which they did with gusto. Toward the end of the class period, the journalists wrote thank-you notes to the people they interviewed and those who had helped them out during the magazine-writing process. “I really want to thank the tutors, Ms. Jones and Ms. Emilie for helping me with my article. Thanks to all of them, this magazine exists and we are proud.” Be sure to pick up your copy of Slick in the Pirate Store.